The NMOA works as a
coordinator, a guide to direct marketing and interactive mail order selling
through the web, and other direct to consumer channels. We want to provide
unique opportunities that you will find nowhere else. New products, selling
tactics, partnerships. Every product maker needs a product marketer, and the
product marketer needs the marketing tools that yet others provide. The NMOA
is a central location for all to meet and help each other in a mutually
profitable way.

The NMOA was founded in 1972 by
mail order expert and advertising man
Paul
Muchnick in order to help small to midsize businesses and
entrepreneurs involved in, or wishing to be involved in mail order
marketing, now commonly referred to as direct marketing.

'Mail Order Selling' and 'Direct Marketing'
are terms that encompasses many different methods and mediums of soliciting and/or selling
products or services at a distance where the potential customer is not
physically present at a store or other location to see the product or to
place an order. In parts of Europe this is also referred to as
'Distance Selling.' The marketer is 'Reaching Out' to the consumer from a
distance.

The mail order business (or direct marketer) promotes their product or
service through one or more types of media, either print or electronic. This
would using print catalogs, direct mail, electronic catalogs, website
stores, email, television, radio,
ads in magazines and/or newspapers, billing and package inserts, etc.. The order (or
an inquiry of interest) from a
customer is then placed remotely through telephone, mail, fax, electronic
shopping cart, email, or other device.

Finally, the fulfillment (delivery) of physical goods ordered via mail order is done through a common carrier such as the United States Post Office
(USPS),
United Parcel Service (UPS), FedEx, and others. In the case of electronic products
or services, delivery can occur via telephone, fax, the Web, email or other
device.

A key element of mail order advertising, promotion or other direct marketing
tactic is that it produces a measurable and traceable response and at the same time
captures important customer (sales lead) information that can be used to
further expand sales and marketing opportunities.

Right now there is a big focus on selling through the Internet, or Web. This
is simply a new medium for mail order sellers, it is still mail order. Your
goods and services are still presented and sold with pictures, videos and
words. The ordering is done remotely, and the delivery is done via common carrier
or electronically. So, if you don't have a complete understanding of the mail
order business (direct marketing), then you will have a hard time finding
success selling on the Internet/Web.

What is the NMOA Mission?

The mission of the NMOA is to provide education, information,
and business connections to entrepreneurs and small businesses around the world for the purposes of
making money through the use of direct marketing and mail order selling
tactics.

How does the NMOA Accomplish
this Mission?

Everyone that comes to the NMOA
has a slightly different situation; their skills, their experience and the
resources available to them are different. Some people are looking to start
a business and some already have a small business that they are looking to
make more money from. Some people have a lot of one thing, but nothing of
another. This is common. But entrepreneurs and small business owners need to
wear many hats, they must constantly build their skills, resources and
know-how -- or they need to work/partner with others that can supplement
their weaknesses.

Some people may be great marketers, but they have nothing to sell, and
others may have something to sell, but they are not good at marketing and
sales. So the NMOA tries to do things that bridge these weaknesses.

So, for the sake of brevity, and the fact that some things change in the
business world; what we may be doing today to help you, may not be the same
as we are doing next month to help you. Therefore, in general terms, we will itemize a list of
main key points here.

1. For the person just starting a business or investigating the
possibility of doing so.

First off, if you are of the "Get Rich Quick" mentality, or believe that
there is some easy 'secrete' road to making money in your own business, the
NMOA is not for you. We will tell you right now there is no such reality as
something for nothing. So that's the first thing, we do our best to weed out
the BS that is so prevalent on the subject of business start-ups and home
business.

If we were to pick one quote that coincides with our philosophy as an
organization, it would be the one by Andrew Carnegie -- "There is no use
whatever trying to help people who do not help themselves. You cannot push
anyone up a ladder unless he be willing to climb himself."

True opportunity comes to
those that develop specialized marketing know-how and then take action to get
into the game. Therefore, to get you off on solid footing on starting a
business we have a book in our bookstore called the -
Direct
Marketing Toolkit for Small and Home Business. It was written by
NMOA president John Schulte. A
person that has 30 years of real experience doing what he outlines in the
book, not someone that has simply researched the subject or copied someone
else's work to sell on the Internet.

This book by itself is useful no matter what kind of business you are going
to start; a service related business or one of selling a products. However,
if you are starting a business that involves selling products manufactured
by someone else, i.e. you buy wholesale and sell retail, then you will want
to consider the NMOA's
Business
Start-up Package that includes a Professional Wholesale Buying and
Sourcing Directory and other related information.

Once you understand how to use the tools available for marketing and
promotion, and the strategic thinking and business concept development that
goes with this, we continue work to put new opportunities in front of you.
This could be in the form of uncovering new products you can sell, or
introducing new lists, marketing tactics, or other promotional opportunity,
or finding a partner or business for sale through one of our social
networks, or maybe helping you uncover a service you can provide in your
local area. It's hard to say what we may uncover for you once you have the
skills to recognize true opportunity and move forward with it, and not waste
time and money on projects that have little likelihood of success.

When you are part of the NMOA network we also work to further develop your
marketing know-how through special educational opportunities that include
industry trade shows, conferences, webinars, seminars, and instructional
home study classes.

2. For the person already in business and is looking to make it bigger.

Each week we send out a concise marketing and business newsletter via
email that features, new products you can sell to your customers, a business
article, a new industry contact, and a book that relates to advertising,
marketing, promotion, or business. We will also announce important new
statistics and marketing data when available. This service is part of our
basic member network and is free for all. You can sign up here for the
NMOA Member
Network.

If you have a product that you are looking to have sold by others, i.e.
catalog companies, web merchants, television (DRTV) marketers and home
shopping channels - and other specialty marketers, the NMOA offers you a low
cost way to reach out to them. Using our
Product
Promotion Program you can reach all our network members and thousands
more. People that are specifically looking for new products to sell.

Things that we do to serve all people in our network, large and small.

We are here to help you create opportunity for yourself. If you simply think about starting a business,
but never take any action because you are waiting for just the right moment
or idea, we're here to tell you there is never really a perfect time except
for NOW! If you don't act, you will be sitting and thinking for years to
come, never doing anything. You may not be where you want to be when you
start, or the exact business you want to be in, but the universe seems to
favor those who take action, therefore leading them to just the right thing.
Thomas Edison said: "Genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine
percent perspiration." It's the same with business, taking action puts you
in the game, and you need to be in the game for anything worthwhile to
happen.

Get a good handle of the marketing and promotional tools you have available
to use. (See DM Toolkit above.) Take an idea and start. See what you can do.
Get practical experience. It can be as simple as finding a product in our
new product and wholesale sourcing
department and buy a few and sell them.
Don't delay your future...make it happen by taking action!

Today the NMOA is comprised of the
President and Chief Manager, John D. Schulte, his staff, and a large (and growing)
number of nationally
prominent industry experts that volunteer information and education to
the NMOA weekly e-newsletter.

To learn about the
different types of membership and promotional opportunities available to
serve you, please click here.